Southfield Police chief: Shooter was veteran who could have had internal issues'

Southfield Police Chief Eric Hawkins speaks to the media, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2012 in Southfield, Mich. Southfield Police in say a man who opened fire in a police station was killed in a shootout with officers. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Mandi Wright)

Harold Joseph Collins looked like any other 64-year-old man when he walked into the Southfield Police Department lobby Sunday afternoon.

However, without a word, Collins opened fire on police, injuring one longtime officer, and was fatally wounded in a shootout on Veterans Day.

“He looked like a grandfather coming in to file a police report,” said Lt. Nick Loussia, public information officer for the department.

Collins, a Southfield man, came into the Southfield Police Department at 2:20 p.m., gave the attendant behind the counter a blank stare, then tried to fire the .380 caliber handgun he had with him, said Southfield Police Chief Eric Hawkins at a Monday media conference.

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The gun did not unload.

A woman, who arrived at the department a short time after Collins, saw the man’s gun and ran from the immediate area, said Hawkins. She was not injured.

Hawkins said that at least five officers responded to the incident in the lobby and told the man repeatedly to put down his gun.

Instead of complying, Collins began shooting at police, who then returned fire, killing the man.

“That’s what’s so unusual about this situation. There were no words whatsoever. The suspect approached the front desk officer, and simply stared at the officer.”

He said that he was told that Collins appeared to be staring into the distance.

As the investigation is ongoing, Hawkins cautioned he would not comment on how many gunshot wounds Collins sustained.

The injured 50-year-old officer, who has spent more than half his life with the Southfield Police Department, was also hit in the left shoulder during the exchange, according to Hawkins.

Both men were treated at the scene for their injuries and quickly taken to local hospitals.

Collins died from multiple gunshot injuries after being admitted.

The officer who was injured, a 27-year veteran, is “conscious, alert and in good spirits,” at the hospital, said the chief.

The 2010 Dodge that the man arrived to the police department was impounded, said Hawkins. He declined to say whether there were more weapons found in the vehicle.

There is video of the incident, but the department won’t release anything until after the investigation, he said.

Hawkins added that because this incident is still under investigation, he would be brief and said he would not be able to answer certain questions.

One of the questions that remain is why Collins did what he did.

Hawkins said there is no apparent motive at this time, but preliminary investigations indicate that Collins was in “poor health.”

He was also a military veteran, said Hawkins.

Whether this incident had a specific connection to the Nov. 11 observance of Veterans Day was unclear.

Hawkins, who commended the officers involved for keeping to company protocol, did say: “Based on his behavior, our opinion is that this person was struggling with some very serious internal issues.”

This matter is currently being investigated by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and is being reviewed internally, said Hawkins.

By conducting parallel investigations, the police department and the sheriff’s office will be ensure everything was done according to policy, which they will review, he said.

This incident incites memories of a similar shooting more than a year ago at the Detroit Police Department, where an accused kidnapper opened fire inside the station and was also fatally shot.

Hawkins appealed to Southfield residents as well during the conference, saying that this is an isolated incident.

“The community remains safe and secure,” he said.

He also urged the public to “monitor your close friends and family for any radical changes in behaviors. Help your family, and help your friends to help themselves before an incident spirals out of control, like the one we saw yesterday.”

Hawkins included that investigators are attempting to reach out to Collins’ family members.

The sergeant who was injured is expected to be released sometime today said Hawkins.